Plugboard



C. D. LAKE March 15, 1938.

PLUGBOARD Filed March 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! O O O O O O O O O OOOO OO O O O O &AUT CONTROL 0 O O O O O CONTROL BRUSHES ISTRUZUTDFL 0000 00000- COUNTER ADD O-Q SUBTRACT I INVENT R. 65M, BY 7 A TTOR EY C. D.LAKE March 15, 1938.

PLUGBOARD Filed March 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

' INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE PLUGBOARD Clair D. Lake,Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to International Business MachinesCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York ApplicationMarch 9, 1935, Serial No. 10,299

6 Claims.

This invention relates to electric plugboards for perforated recordcontrolled accounting machines, such as the Hollerith type of tabulatingmachine.

In these machines, separate columns of data on record cards are analyzedby separate sensing brushes which are electrically connected to controlmagnets to effect the proper operation of accumulating and printing aswell as other operations of the machines. The electric sensing brushesof the various columns are connected to the desired columns of printingtype and different orders in the accumulating devices or to the othercontrol elements of the machine. The

means interconnecting the brushes and these other parts of the machineinclude wire connected jacks which may be plug connected between any ofthe brushes and any of the columns or orders of printing andaccumulating devices or other control devices.

It has been common to effect a complete plugging of the machine for eachtype of report which is to be made from the record cards which are to berun through the machine. Very often, certain standard reports are to bemade from stacks of cards punched in accordance with some common formand in order to save the time of replug ging the entire machine wheneverthese common forms are to be printed, set-up plug boards may bemaintained in plugged or connected condition for these common reportsand inserted as a com plete unit in the machine whenever it is desiredto use them. Whenever it is desired to make slight changes in the formsor to omit portions of the reports, the appropriate plug connections maybe changed or removed.

United States Patent 1,933,335 to Peirce shows a type of removableplugboard adapted for use in these machines. Application Serial No.687,- 268 to Albert W. Mills, filed August 29, 1933, which became Patent2,056,361, October 6, 1936, for a plugboard for tabulating machinesshows a further improvement upon this type of plugboard.'

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means forprotecting the delicate contact terminals in the plugboard under certainconditions.

Another object is to provide a protecting device of this nature whichwill automatically assume operative position when the removable portionof the plugboard is taken from the machine or is being inserted intoposition in the machine.

Another object is to provide means to insure the properadjustment of theparts relative to each other when the removable portion of the plugboardis inserted in the machine.

A further object is to provide an improved clamping means for lockingthe removable portion of the board in operative position in the 5 board.

Referring to the drawings in which I have shown what I now consider tobe the preferred form of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the plugboard.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the parts in open position.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the contacts showing the manner of cooperationwhen the plugboard is in closed position.

Referring to the drawings, a portion l of the plugboard is adapted to bepermanently fixed to a machine such as a tabulating machine. This fixedportion is provided with a plurality of contact members 2, some of whichare adapted to be connected by wires 3 to the sensing brushes of themachine while others are connected to printing, accumulating and variouscontrol parts. The removable portion 4 of the plugboard is provided withcooperating contact members 5 and is slidably mounted in a hinged frame6 pivoted at I to the fixed portion of the board. When the hingedportion is moved into close position, the contacts 2 and 5 cooperatewith each other as in Fig. 3, the contact 2 cooperating first with thebevel portion 8 and being pressed upwardly to the position shown in Fig.3 thus effecting a wiping and pressing contact so as to insure a cleanelectrical contact. The terminal contacts 2 are mounted in an insulatingblock 9 carried by the 3 fixed portion l of the board and the contacts 5are mounted in a similar insulating block l carried by the slidingportion 4. An insulating" plate ll may be employed to co er the rearterminals of the contacts so as to minimize the possibility ofshortcircuiting the contacts. Plate H is provided with holes l2 adjacentto the rear of each of the contacts 5 so that the plugging jacks i3 maybe plugged into the sockets M in the contacts 5. In this manner, any ofthe contacts 5 may be connected to any other of such contacts so thatwhen the contacts 5 are in cooperation with contacts 2, current comingthrough any one of the sensing brushes may be run through any one of theoperating magnets to control the desired accumulating order or printingcolumn or other controlled device. Theportion 4 containing contacts 5and plugging connections 13 may be inserted in the hinged frame 55 3from the top and held in position by projections or fianges II, I.

The frame 3 is connected by links II to arms i3 pivoted at l3 to thefixed portion of the plugboard. The arms II are interconnected at theirouter ends by a bar 23. By raising the arms II to the position of Fig.2, the frame 3 is moved to open position for the removal or insertion ofslide portion 4 and by rocking arms II to lowered dotted position (seealso Fig. 1) the frame 6 with the slide plugboard 4 will be moved intooperative position where the contacts 2 will cooperate with thecorresponding contacts 3 to complete the connection between the sensingbrushes and other parts of the machine.

It is important when the plugboard is in open position, or when there isno slide portion 4 in frame 3, that the free ends of contacts 2 shallnot be so exposed that they may he accidentally struck and bent orotherwise damaged so as to interfere with the proper functioning of theparts. A slight bending of the contacts might without being noticedimpair the proper contacting and thus impair the operation of themachine.

In order to protect these contacts from injury, I have provided aprotecting plate 2| having holes 22 for the ends of the contacts 2 toreach through as in Fig. 3 to cooperate with contacts 5 when the partsare in closed position. When the frame 3 is moved to open position as inFig. 2, the protecting plate 2| is adapted to assume position of Fig. 2so that none of the contacts 2 will project beyond the outer surface ofthe plate. The plate 2| is carried by pins 23 movable in slots 24 in thefixed portion I and is provided with toggle links 23, 26 on oppositesides which are interconnected by links 21.

A link 23 on each side of the board is connected between the toggles andbell crank arms 23 will operate the toggles when the arms 29 are rockedcounterclockwise about their pivots 30 in Fig. 2. This will move theprotecting plate 2| to the left in Fig. 2, away from the ends ofcontacts 2 as in Fig. 3. The movable frame 6 is provided with arms 3|pivoted at 32 and provided with springs 33 to normally rock the arm 3|out of cooperative relation with the arm 29.-

When the slide portion 4 is lowered into position in the frame 3 it willengage the arms 3| as shown in Fig. 1 and rock them outwardly intoalignment with the upper ends of the arms 23. Now when the frame 6 isrocked into closed position, the arms 3| will engage arms 23 and rockthe latter counterclockwise in Fig. 2 and move the protecting plate 2|inwardly so as to free the outer ends of contacts 2 so that they maycooperate with contacts 5.

Thus, whenever the frame is moved to open position, the plate 2| willmove outwardly to protect the ends of the contacts 2 and when the frame3 is closed with a plug slide portion 4 in position, the protectingplate 2| will be moved away from the ends of the contacts 2. 0n theother hand, if the frame 6 is closed without a plug slide 4 in positionthe arms 3| will not engage the arms 23 and the plate 2| will remain inits operative or protecting position. The ends of the contacts 2 are inthis way protected from damage which might otherwise be inflictedthrough the openwork of the hinged frame 6.

In order that the slide portion 4 may be fully inserted in the frame 6when the parts are closed, a projection 32 may be attached to the upperportion of the fixed member to engage the slide portion 4 and preventthe closing of the parts unless the slide portion 4 is fully inserted tothe bottom of the frame member 3.

To further insure accurate setting of the parts and at the same timeincrease the pressure between contacts 2 and 5, rollers 33 may beprovided on frame 6 to cooperate with cams 34 on the fixed portion I soas to lift the frame slightly when it is closed. Sufilcient play isprovided in bearings I to permit this slight movement of the frame.

Springs 33 may be provided to hold arms I. in the position of Fig. 2when the board is open, and by passing to the other side of pivot l3when the board is closed, hold the parts in such position also.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, itwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changesin the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operationmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An interconnecting plugboard for accounting machines comprising afixed set of contacts and supporting means therefor, a protecting membernormally placed in position to protect said contacts, a positionableframe pivotally associated with the said supporting means, a memberslidably mounted in the said frame and carrying a second set of contactswhich are adapted to cooperate with the fixed set of contacts. and meansassociated with said frame and adapted to be rendered operative when thelast mentioned member is in position in the frame for displacing saidprotective member from the fixed set of contacts when the frame is movedinto cooperative relation with said fixed set of contacts to effectcooperation between the fixed set and said second set of contacts.

2. An interconnecting plugboard for accounting machines comprising afixed set of contacts and supporting means therefor, a protecting platenormally in position to protect said contacts, a frame pivotally securedto said supporting means and movably associated with said set ofcontacts, a removable member associated with said frame having a secondset of contacts adapted to cooperate with the fixed contacts, means formoving said protecting plate to inoperative position to permitcooperation between said first and second sets of contacts, and meansoperated by said removable member when in position in said frame forrendering said moving means operative.

3. An interconnecting plugboard for accounting machines comprising afixed set of contacts, a protecting plate for said contacts, a framehingedly associated with said set of contacts, linkage between saidprotecting plate and said frame, a removable member adapted to beinserted in said frame having a second set of contacts adapted tocooperate with the first set of contacts, and means operated by saidmember when in position in said frame to render said linkage operativeto move the protecting plate to inoperative position when the frame ismoved into cooperative relation with said first set of contacts toeffect cooperation between the first and second sets of contacts.

4. An interconnecting plugboard for accounting machines comprising afixed set of contacts and supporting means therefor, a plate normally inposition to protect said contacts, a frame pivotally secured to saidsupporting means movable into cooperative relation with said contacts, amember slidable into said frame and provided with a second set ofcontacts adapted to cooperate with said first set of contacts, and meanscontrolled by said -member when inserted in said frame for, moving saidprotecting plate to inoperative position to permit cooperation betweenthe two sets of contacts when the frame is moved into cooperativerelation with said first set of contacts.

5. A plugboard for an accounting machine comprising a fixed memberhaving contact terminals and a movable member pivotally secured to saidfixed member having cooperating contacts, a movable protecting plateassociated with the contact terminals of the fixed member andpositionable longitudinally with respect to said terminals, and meanscooperating with the said movable member for controlling the positioningof said protecting plate.

6. An interconnecting plugboard for accounting machines comprising afixed member and a movable member, supporting means for the fixed memberand said movable member pivotally secured thereto, the fixed memberbeing provided with contact terminals and the movable member beingprovided with terminals adapted to cooperate with the terminals of thefixed member, a movable protecting member associated with and adapted toprotect the contact terminals of the fixed member and positionablelongitudinally with respect to said terminals, and means operated by themovable member for positioning the protecting member to an intermediateand inoperative position to permit interconnection between the contactterminals.

CLAIR D. LAKE.

